How come the Chamber of Commerce isn't backing Medicare for all? Seems like getting this albatross off their necks would lift a huge burden for businesses.

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One of these days -- or maybe it's just too late -- employees will wake up to the fact that some of their own lifestyle choices are also to blame for the dilemmas of employers, saddled with tremendously high costs for preventable illnesses and accidents.

We Americans want the right to eat crap, get fat, sit around with the remote, smoke, over-drink, fail to control cholesterol, hypertension and ride without a seatbelt, then whine at higher premiums and deductibles.

Part of the onus lies with consumers for the pickle we're in.

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Medicare for All through HR676 would save millions of jobs by helping business, state and local government, the under and uninsured while making our products more competitive. Medicare for All could be almost totally implemented within a year of passage!

Medicare for All HR 676 Conyers

Americans Should Not Stand for Lock-down on Single-Payer Discussion
by Laura Bonham

"As an ardent advocate of single-payer healthcare for many years, I am more than a little frustrated by Washington insiders—beholden to healthcare corporations—telling the American people that passing single-payer healthcare reform, specifically HR. 676, the United States National Health Care Act, can't happen. The fact is they are standing in the way of it happening.

..............

"The U.S. already spends far more on healthcare than any other nation; yet with all our power and treasure, we are the lone wealthy industrialized nation that does not ensure healthcare for all of our citizens. Fifty million Americans are currently uninsured, and twenty two thousand of those Americans die every year because they do not have access to healthcare.

Meanwhile, CEOs of healthcare corporations earn $3.3 million to $22.2 million in salary per year, paltry amounts compared to their stock options. When a CEO earns $1.6 billion in stock options ("Business 2006: Who Won, Who Lost," Associated Press, December 2006), who loses? The average American, that's who—the people who are dying, getting sick from lack of preventative care, facing bankruptcy from medical bills, losing their jobs and their homes. They are Americans who can't afford "health insurance" and certainly can't afford large contributions to senatorial, congressional, and presidential campaigns. "

Medicare for All HR 676 Bonham

Spread the Word .... Medicare for All through HR 676

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And don't give me shit about "socialized medicine". I already put up with enough self-righteous fascists who refuse to understand the benefits of single payer over the other crap. There is no reason to favor Big Pharma/Insurance over single payer and don't me shit about those insurance jobs or "personal responsibility". Those jobs are crappy and can easily be replaced and preaching "personal responsibility" all the while supporting Big Agri's poisoning of the public's health with aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, etc ... is inexcusable. You tell your government to stop subsidizing Big Agri and their junk crap and allow some real competition in the market and then we'll talk about "personal responsibility" later. There is no reason truly organic foods made locally deserve to cost more than all that overprocessed junk. Government has no business RIGGING the market to keep junk foods artificially low for one set of food industries over others.

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There is now a new way to maintain continuous coverage during periods when you are not covered by an employer sponsored plan. You must elect this option whilst you are still relatively healthy. This way is through the purchase of the new "Continuity" plan available only through United Healthcare. This individual health insurance plan helps you maintain coverage for pre-existing conditions during the periods when you are not covered by an employer sponsored group health insurance plan. The Continuity plan is a concept enacted by the CEO of United Health Care & its subsidiary Golden Rule Insurance company. The concept is a brilliant one indeed because one of the greatest challenges to all health insurance brokers is the struggle to maintain "Guaranteed Insurability" for clients who have been diagnosed with a host of conditions such as Diabetes or Cancer. The onset of either one of these illnesses (and many more) will render one "uninsurable" on the individual major medical market. This can become a very serious problem if one looses their employer sponsored group coverage and can not either afford their State's risk pool coverage, or they do not live in a State that provides an Insurance Risk Pool. For states that do http://www.naschip.org/states_pools.htm

The Continuity plan resolves this problem by allowing insurable consumers to purchase any plan that United Health Care/Golden rule offers at only 20% of the normal required premium for that plan. Consumers can purchase this plan whilst they are covered by an employer sponsored group health insurance plan that offers them Guaranteed Insurability. Whilst the consumer is still insured by their employer sponsored group plan the United Health Care policy of their choice goes in to a "dormant" state. In other words, the policy remains in force as long as the insured pays only 20% of the required monthly premium for that product. The moment that the consumer looses employer sponsored group coverage, or is faced with a hefty Cobra continuation premium. They can then elect to "awaken" the policy out of its "dormant" state and the policy will then begin to cover them on a Guaranteed Insurability basis without the need for underwriting. This means that if a consumer were to develop a major medical condition that would render them uninsurable on the individual major medical market whilst the Continuity plan was in its "dormant" state, their pre existing conditions would continue to be covered seamlessly from day one once the consumer elects to "awaken" their Continuity coverage. Once the policy is "awakened" the insured would now have to pay the entire monthly premium required to maintain that individual health insurance policy. But as anyone in the industry knows, individual policies often require a fraction of the premium that is required to maintain a Cobra continuation plan. Once the insured has retained another employer sponsored group plan that provides Guaranteed Insurability (presumably by securing another employment position) then the policy goes back in to its "dormant" state and the premium is subsequently reduced to only 20% or the required monthly premium. Essentially this concept allows any consumer to "float" in and out of employer sponsored group coverage whilst also maintaining the all important Guaranteed Insurability clause so valuable to those who have been rendered "uninsurable" on the individual major medical market. For more
http://sbisvcs.com/united%20health%20care%
20individual%20policy.html

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In most states if you have one of a host of "pre-existing" medical conditions you are labeled as uninsurable on an individual health insurance policy. This uninsurable status can last for many years and sometimes for life depending on the specific pre existing condition you have been diagnosed with. Some of these conditions are Heart Attack, Stroke,Diabetes,Cancer,Lupus,Multiple Sclerosis,Muscular Dystrophy,Degenerative Arthritis and a host of other pre existing conditions. In addition, there are applicants who have a combination of controlled pre existing conditions but because they have more than three "ratable conditions" they are labeled uninsurable. For example, with many carriers an applicant who has Hypertension & Hyperlipidimia but is also overweight falls under the "3 strikes your out" rule and is labeled uninsurable. Or an applicant may have two of the aforementioned controlled conditions and is not overweight but is a smoker and is then labeled uninsurable also. Or an applicant who has asthma but also smokes falls in to the same uninsurable category with many carriers. This is just a small snippet of conditions or "combo conditions" that can render an applicant uninsurable. The question then becomes, what do I do now? For many years depending on the state you live in you only had two options. They are as follows
1.) If you have a corporate tax i.d. number you can purchase a small group health insurance policy from most insurance carriers. With this scenario a minimum of two people (often husband & wife) who work for the same corporation can apply for a small group health insurance policy. After a period of time, or in some cases immediately (depending on how many months you have had prior health insurance coverage without a lapse) pre-existing conditions will be covered provided that they are a covered expense on the policy.
2.) Enroll in your states insurance risk pool (if your state is fortunate enough to have one). This can be very cost prohibitive but it does provide seamless continuation of coverage for pre existing conditions. For States that do: http://www.naschip.org/states_pools.htm Whilst the two aforementioned options should still be pursued first (if available & affordable) there is now another option. American Medical & Life Insurance Company of New York, New York is now offering Defined Benefit Health Insurance Policies to the uninsurable. There are only three restrictions to obtaining these quality Defined Benefit Health Insurance Policies. They are as follows:
1.) You may not be a Medicare recipient.
2.) You may not be receiving disability.
3.) You may not be receiving workers' compensation benefits.
There are no other underwriting requirements. This means that regardless of your pre existing condition American Medical & Life insurance company will issue you a Defined Benefit Health Insurance policy. What exactly is covered by their Defined Benefit Health Insurance policies? Much more coverage than any other "Defined Benefit" health insurance plan on the market today. There are four different plans to choose from. The best of them "Health Max Plus" covers a $1,000 a day for up to 100 days of a hospital admission. An additional $2,000 benefit for the first day of hospital admission. An additional $1,000 a day benefit for the first 15 days of Intensive Care. An unlimited surgical benefit.Outpatient doctor office visits and Medically necessary diagnostic tests and x-rays performed in a doctor's office or outpatient facility are covered up to $400 per visit with a 5 visit allowance per year. The plans are also fully HIPAA complaint. Meaning that they will provide seamless coverage for pre-existing conditions if you can provide a certificate of creditable coverage showing at least 18 months of prior coverage with no lapse of more than 63 days. To learn more about these new Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance plans visit http://www.sbisvcs.com/guarantee_issue.htm

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Employers are having financial problems and they are skimping on employee health care benefits. It may not seem like it but this is really a good thing.

For someone suddenly stuck with some unexpected medical costs it is, of course, a hardship and maybe a very serious hardship. However, for a society this kind of individual hardship may well be exactly what is needed to motivate change.

Health care reformers often note that a major impediment to reform is that too many people are perfectly happy with their own health care plan. Sure they know that overall, health care in our country is an embarrassment, but not enough are personally dissatisfied enough to shake the boat.

As with the economy generally, things may have to get worse in order to get better. Employers skimping on the health care they provide to employees may be just what we need.

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I've been saying it for years, but because health insurance benefits have always been a draw for prospective employees, corporate America, rather than stand up against insurance companies & corporate healthcare providers, & rather than even consider universal healthcare for fear of being struck by some "socialist" bolt of lightning, they instead, as corporations always do, resort to deceit & underhandedness, no matter who it hurts or how many lives & careers are destroyed along the way. Government employers do this, as well.

After termination from employment for "medical reasons" in 2002, the State of FL blackballed me from employment, destroying not just one, but two careers, because of my medical history & past Blue Cross/Blue Shield State of FL self-insured claims. "Self-insured" means the State pays the health insurance claims of employees out of state coffers, which FL agencies severely mismanage anyway. Again, rather than deal with the REAL problem, greedy, corrupt, insurance companies & corporate healthcare providers, the State of FL takes the underhanded, dishonest, corrupt route, & gets rid of disabled employees who use what they consider "too much" of their health insurance benefits, having no conscience, consideration, or remorse whatsoever for their actions. I have a case pending in 1st District Court of Appeal on this matter, in which I represent myself pro se because no attorneys would take the case on contingency or pro bono...speaking of greed, arrogance, & entitlement.

The stress of being denied employment after incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, which by rights, the State of FL should have to pay back to the Federal government, has contributed to the demise of my health, & my income now is at poverty level, subsisting only of a meager Social Security Disability income & minuscule FL Retirement income.

Unfortunately, my story is not unique nor confined to FL.

What it's important to realize here is that employers began taking jobs overseas to avoid paying ever-increasing health insurance premiums...again, rather than standing up to the insurance industry. The government did this, as well. Corporations & government employers should take responsibility for their part in the current economic & healthcare crises, as it is a result of gross mismanagement & continuous refusal to root out the real cause of this "bloodbath."

Instituting universal healthcare is just one step in correcting this mess, however. The resultant massive corruption & discrimination in corporate & governmental hiring practices, i.e., "human resources" abuses & HIPAA violations of employee's medical histories must be stopped, for if it is not, then employees will never again have anything remotely resembling "job security."

This type of corruption is already evident in cases of sexual harassment, where the victim is suddenly terminated for a variety of lame excuses.

America MUST simply shout out to our government that we want justice. We want Federal investigations into these continuous abuses, & we want the perpetrators brought to justice.

Carol Tucker, MA
Court Reform-NOW
http://www.courtreformnow.ning.com
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/equaljusticeforall

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forget it!

......a long failed US experiment.

Dr. Rick Lippin
Southampton,Pa

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"Another important aspect of President Obama's health care reform plan is the addition of a public health insurance plan option to drive more value in our health care system by competing side-by-side with private insurance and using its bargaining power to rein in costs."

"Competing side-by-side with private insurance" --this is how Obama and the Democrats avoid making tough decisions--they leave it up to the "market" to decide.

It's a "competition."

The insurance industry and allies with all their connections, power and money and lobbyists vs a basic human right.

Gee, I wonder who will win this competition.

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Who wants to challenge me on the fact that BHO will not pass single payer for healthcare?

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The promises of deregulation never pan out. Look at what happened with deregulation in the financial industry. Look what happened with deregulation of the air travel industry. The consumer ends up being the door mat. Rather than deregulating medicine, and saying that if anything goes the consumer will rule, I'd rather see the insurance and pharmaceutical industries more tightly regulated.

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the more people fall off the back end and join the rest of us, the sooner we will find ourselves with universal health care. this system's broke and you can't fix it.

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the majority of professionals and intelligent people including OBAMA is convinced a public/private system is the solution.

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Having bought into the arguments in favor of single-payer health care and having argued for it strongly in the past, I found a speech by Zeke Emanuel particularly interesting. Zeke is Rahm's physician brother, so he may have some serious influence on the thinking inside the Obama White House.

He is doubtful that a single payer plan can be scaled-up to service the entire U.S. and I can't say I know enough to agree or disagree with this assessment. His more interesting point, however, is that a single-payer plan is not sufficient to contain costs and that it is necessary to also change the current fee-for-service concept.

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Without single payer, the "poverty parade" hasn't got a chance.

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